Stafford Technical Center

Rock Climbing Team

The Stafford Technical Center SPIDERS rock climbing team is in its third season. Students are invited to join in September to train for competitions that occur monthly from November through March at the Green Mountain Rock Climbing Gym on Woodstock Avenue in Rutland. The year starts off with new climbers being instructed in proper belaying methods by center staff and the coach presenting topics concerning climbing etiquette, techniques and methods related to climbing and the competitions. While the major emphasis is on the individual climber’s personal, best effort at self-improvement, competitions do play an important role in the season. It is interesting to note that the competitions provide an atmosphere that is very much unlike many traditional sports, with competitors often helping and encouraging their peers to greater effort at achieving new heights.

The competitions consist of climbing marked routes on the walls that have different levels of difficulty. The harder the climb, the more points earned. Practices are spent working on these marked routes. Team members are expected to work hard improving their skills for the competitions and are encouraged to practice on their own as they can. There is no limit to the number of members on a team, but only the five best climbers’ scores are submitted at competitions. Team practice typically occurs on Mondays from 3:15 to 5:00 pm; the cost for this is covered by Stafford Technical Center. Students are responsible for the cost of personal practice time (i.e., not Mondays), which is $ 6.00.